While Benji was sleeping the day away, Jax called the other cats together.
“The big excitement is over, so now we need to talk about what to do next.”
“You would think that most of us would go back to what we were doing.”
“However, there’s been a change.” Jax looked around to see the reactions of the cats before continuing.
“It seems that our Benji thinks he spotted the site of the History Tree just before he got run over by that mountain.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“So, where is it?” Stony asked. “Did he say where it was?”
“Kind of,” Jax replied. “He described what he saw to Chantel, and she produced a drawing.”
“With that drawing, we should be able to find it.”
“What we need to sort out now is what each of us is going to be doing.”
“Piper and I were already looking for the tree, so we’ll stick with that.”
“I think we’re getting close, so any of you who want to help us finish the search are welcome.”
Taniki spoke first. “I’d really like to be in on this, but I’ve got kids I need to get back to.”
Kyron spoke up. “Mom and Dad are already taking care of them, you know they love having kids around.”
“That’s true,” Taniki grinned. “They’re going to spoil them rotten.”
“We’ll need to get more food up here, if we’re going to stay… I mean,” she said, looking at Kyron. “You’re staying, aren’t you?”
“Of course.” Kyron answered. “Where else are you going to find good kitchen help?”
“That’s true, good help is hard to find.”
Zelli raised her hand. “Count me in. You can always use a good runner.”
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere,” Jax said. “What about the rest of you?”
“You don’t need two healers up here,” Isis said, “so I’ll be heading back to the village.”
“I’ll go back with her,” Cisco said. “I’ve got a project I’m working on.”
Baxter spoke for the rest of the cats. “Just tell us what you want us to do.”
“Okay, Baxter, you get to help with Benji. If he needs help going out to the woods to ‘scratch some dirt,’ that’s your job.”
“Oh, thanks for that. I always knew I was your favorite,” Baxter replied sarcastically.
“Juni, Breezy, and Stony, you three can make a supply run to the village. Taniki will tell you what food to bring back. Pick up a few more shiners too.”
“Can you guys do a couple of favors for me when you’re at the village?” Chantel asked them.
“Sure, what do you need?” Juni answered.
“Check on Gabby, make sure she’s doing okay.” Chantel said. “Then, I need some more paper for sketches. Talk to Star about that. And finally, when you pick up those shiners for Jax, grab one or two of the dim ones for me. I’ve got a hunch they’ll come in handy.”
“Okay, we can do that,” Juni told her.
“If anyone else thinks of something for us to bring back, let us know before we head out in the morning.”
Later that night, as Chantel was getting ready to turn in for the night, she heard a familiar voice.
“Ow!”
“So, that really is how you’re going to wake up now?” she said with a grin.
“I just want to know why you’re trying to starve me to death,” he groaned. “I feel like I haven’t eaten in weeks.”
“Well, you were starting to develop a bit of a tummy,” Chantel grinned.
“No, I was just kidding,” she laughed. “I’ll go get you something.”
As she started to leave, he called, “What, no kiss?”
“Do you want food or a smooch?” she replied.
“I can’t have both?”
“Well, okay,” she smiled, giving him a peck on the cheek.
“So, do you want to see the menu or is chef’s choice good enough?” she said, leaving the shelter.
He settled back with a hand on his head and a groan, “Ow.”
Chantel came back with a steaming bowl of stew that Taniki had kept at a low simmer since dinner.
“Here you go, Hon, do you want to try and sit up to eat?”
“Let’s give it a try,” he said, levering himself up on his elbows. “Can you shove something behind me to lean on?”
Now in position, he dove into the stew as if he actually hadn’t eaten in weeks.
While he was eating, Chantel sat and told him the plans that were being made.
After he’d finished most of the stew, Benji stopped and looked at her.
“You’re going with Jax and Piper, aren’t you?”
“I’m staying right here, with you.” Chantel answered.
“You’re kidding. Are you sure you weren’t the one hit in the head?” he said, all thoughts of eating gone.
“You have to go. Interpreting an ancient drawing in a cave and, days later, being able to lay eyes on the actual physical object the drawing was referring to. That’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“Imagine your mother’s expression when you tell her about it,” he said with a big grin.
“Oh, she’d love it, wouldn’t she.” Chantel grinned.
“Like I said, you have to go.” Benji reached out to pat her knee. “Decision made.”
“Alright then, since that’s decided, do you want any more stew?” she asked.
“No?” Okay then, let me mix up some headache powder for you. Then you can get some more sleep.”
“I’m not sure I need any more sleep, but if it gets rid of this pain in my poor head, I’m all for it.”
The renewed search to find the History Tree started slowly.
Most of the cats had left for the village. Zelli was making a crutch for Benji, and Chantel was quietly working on making copies of the drawing.
“I hate just sitting around,” Piper complained as she and Jax looked around for something to do. “I want to go find that tree.”
“I feel the same way,” Jax told her, “but, like I said yesterday, the best way to verify that Benji actually saw something, is to be back up on the mountain at the same time of day to try and match the actual terrain to Chantel’s drawing.”
“Well, I’m not sitting around until tomorrow,” Piper said. “I’m going up that mountain with you today. Besides, you know I’ve got the best eyesight.”
“That you do,” he replied, “just be patient, we’ll head up right after lunch.”
“Speaking of lunch,” Piper said, “maybe I’ll go see if Taniki needs any help.”
Benji came out at lunch, using Zelli’s crutch. He was putting on a brave face, but it wasn’t long before Chantel was helping him back to his bed in the shelter.
“You did well, considering what you’ve been through,” she said, helping him get comfortable. “How does your knee feel?”
“Not all that bad,” he replied, rubbing it with both hands. “But I’m afraid to put too much weight on it. I don’t want to screw it up.”
“Exactly right,” she said. “Baby it for a little bit, and you’ll be back up to full strength before you know it.”
They heard Jax calling out to Baxter. “We’re starting our climb, you’re our spotter.”
“I’ve got you,” Baxter replied, “be safe and find that tree.”
Jax and Piper made their way up the clear path they’d taken before. They kept climbing until they were even with the big boulder, then they climbed another 20 feet up.
“We’re at the same height as where Benji was,” Jax said, looking around for a level place to stand.
“We’re not exactly where he was standing,” Piper said, “but I’m not going to take a chance on crossing that slide just to stand exactly where he was.”
“And I wouldn’t let you,” Jax said with a grin. “They’re not making anymore Pipers, you know.”
“You’re sweet, now let’s get to work.”
Standing close together, they studied the drawing Jax was holding. On the drawing, the green spot they were looking for was off to the northwest. They kept looking between the drawing and the landscape until finally, “Hold on a second,” Piper said, pointing to the drawing, “see this sharp divide between these two hills with the forest growing right up to it?”
“Yeah, okay, I see that,” Jax replied, laying his finger where she was pointing.
Piper stooped down in front of him and pointed off at an angle down to where the forest met the foothills.
“Look right across the top of my head and down my arm,” she said, holding her position. “Do you see it?”
“Yeah, I see it. That matches the drawing almost exactly.”
“Okay, now we have a reference point,” Piper said, getting up to stand next to him again. “Now we need to find the bright green area he was talking about.”
Tracing her finger along the line of foothills in the drawing, she located it. “There, that’s it,” she said, looking up, trying to find it in the distance.
Looking from the drawing to the distant terrain, Jax strained to find a flash of green. Even using the drawing to shade his eyes, he couldn’t find it.
“I don’t know, maybe it was just his imagination,” Jax frowned.
“Well, that may be true ‘O Blind One,’” Piper said with a smug grin. “Except for the fact that I see it too.”
“Now show me the drawing again so I can try to locate the depression that the History Tree is in.”
“Okay, from that first reference point you showed me, following the terrain back up, we must be standing about here,” Jax said, holding his finger at a point on the edge of the drawing.
“Right,” Piper said, “so if we draw a line from the green spot to where your finger is, somewhere along that line we should find the tree.”
“Well, maybe not right on the line, but close to it,” Jax said. “I think he said it was in the foothills, about a third of the way back to the base of the mountains, and that’s what the drawing shows.”
“Okay ‘Eagle eyes,’ find it for us.” he told her, stepping back to let her concentrate.
She slowly scanned the area along the line from the green spot. Then she sat down and shielded her eyes and started at the green spot again, slowly scanning side to side along the line again.
“Maybe I don’t have his imagination,” she muttered to herself as she went back to the green spot and started following the line again, carefully scanning every detail.
“Well hit me in the head with a rock!” she laughed, “there it is.”
“You found it?”
“I did,” Piper said, “Hang on a minute while I try to find a few more reference points to make it easier to find. It’s actually a ways off to the left of the line from here to the green spot.”
Studying the view, she decided on the reference points she wanted.
“Okay… if we take the full width of the green area as a measure of distance, we need to keep going west, four times that distance. From there, if we look across the valley to the northwest, we need to find three steep hills standing side by side. Then, turning, with those three hills at our back, if we walk southeast, toward the mountains, we should find the depression with the tree.”
“Alright,” Jax said, “I’m still not completely sure of your green spot, but I do see your three pointy hills.”
“That’s good enough then,” Piper said with a grin, “because I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to see the green spot when you’re standing in it.”
“Well, now we’re back on mission,” Jax said. “Let’s go tell Benji we’re going to steal his girlfriend for a while.”
Carefully rolling up the drawing and storing it in his pack, he led the way back down to the camp.